Global Entertainment, armed with a hockey franchise offer, hadbeen in talks with city officials about the 7,500-seat center forsome time, but zeroed in on MGHerring's 400-acre mixed-useproject, which straddles the cities of Allen and Fairview,in January. Meanwhile, MGHerring proceeded as planned, breakingground in March on its massive mixed-use development. "Part of ourchallenge was we had broken ground with our project and the retailwas under way," Gar Herring, president of the Dallas-basedMGHerring Group, tells GlobeSt.com. "Incorporating a project ofthis magnitude was challenging to do without slowing down ourdevelopment. Now, we have a solution that works for all ourparties."

City council blessed the pact last night. The agreement, nowjust a letter of intent, calls for the city to kick in $20 millionof infrastructure and parking with MGHerring putting in $23 millionup front, which will be reimbursed from an existing half-cent salestax. The city will float a $47-million bond package to underwriteits share of the deal as owner of the event center, two proposedparking structures and all surrounding infrastructure.

"A regional event center has been on the Allen City Council'sstrategic plan for many years," Allen Mayor Stephen Terrell says ina press release. "The public-private partnership of the projectwill create a first-class entertainment and sports venue withoutcreating an impact to local taxes."